Teller Arrested After Allegedly Pocketing $11K Deposit

An employee at a New Orleans-area credit union was arrested last week after allegedly stealing a member’s $11,000 deposit, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Monique Gaines, 42, a teller at ASI Federal Credit Union, was booked Sept. 20 at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on charges of bank fraud and theft of $1,500 or more, and was released the same day on $15,000 bail, said Colonel John Fortunato, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

The arrest followed an investigation that began when a member of the $317 million credit union in Harahan, La., reported that a Sept. 18 deposit had not been noted in their account, according to the police report.

The 70,000-member institution’s surveillance footage, which was reviewed by management and investigators, allegedly showed Gaines accepting the cash from the member and putting it into the back of her drawer, instead of into the till, the report said.

The video reportedly showed Gaines later removing the money from the drawer and putting it in her purse. When confronted by investigators, Gaines confessed she had stolen the money and revealed where it was hidden, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies recovered the cash and took the Kenner, La., resident into custody.